The Witness Receives its Power

Our struggle is how to be faithful to this apostolic gospel while presenting it in a way that resonates with men and women today. What is immediately clear is that, like the apostles, we must focus on Jesus Christ. How do we respond to the work and power of the Holy Spirit?

Our struggle is how to be faithful to this apostolic gospel while presenting it in a way that resonates with men and women today.

What is immediately clear is that, like the apostles, we must focus on Jesus Christ. How do we respond to the work and power of the Holy Spirit?

The day of Pentecost, or the fiftieth day, was so called because it fell seven weeks (fifty days by inclusive reckoning) from the day after the Sabbath following Passover.

Acts 2:1–13 ESV

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Can you Imagine Your Life without the Holy Spirit?

If you can then we have a problem Houston.....

‌The late Dr. A. W. Tozer, author and pastor, said, "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. ‌If the Holy spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."

‌John Scott - Commentary‌ Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead.

Remember the day Jesus came down to the Jordan River and was baptized? The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, empowering Him for the ministry in front of Him. Jesus left that scene in the power of the Holy Spirit, and now that same power is available to all who would believe.

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The text we read last week refers to the promise, the gift, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost brings us 4 Things:

1). The Holy Spirit brings the Final act of the Saving Ministry of Jesus

The one born into our humanity, lived our life, died for our sins, rose from the grave three days later, and ascended into heaven now sends His Spirit to live out in them what he won at the cross and solidified in the resurrection.

2). The Holy Spirit equips us for the Role He has called us to follow.

Jesus had appointed them to be His witnesses and authority on earth and promised them the equipment necessary to fulfill that promise.

3) The Holy Spirit brings the inauguration of the New Era of the Spirit.

Now, the Spirit is available for all people everywhere. He equipped the apostles to be primary witnesses to Christ's resurrection. He now equips a secondary witness with the fullness of the Spirit of Christ available for all of us.

4) The Holy Spirit brings the first Revival.

This was one of those unusual manifestations of God in which a whole community becomes vividly and painfully aware of God's immediate and overpowering presence.

This was a physical phenomenon and a deep conviction of sin that led to 3,000 converts in one day.

1. What will you do with the extraordinary Power of the Holy Spirit?

Do you come together expecting the ordinary or the Extraordinary?

‌When I was a kid, we used to play a mean little game called Psych. (It was really just a way to be a jerk to your friends.)

The goal was to make up a story, and then when a friend got really excited about what was being promised, the storyteller would dash all of his hope in that idea by saying, “Psych!” That word meant, “No, not really. I’m just lying to you in a playful way.” So, for example, I might set up a pal by saying, “Hey, this soda is really good. You can have the rest of it.” But then, when he thanks me and reaches for the can, I grin wickedly and announce, “Psych!”‌Of course this misdirection or lying hurts so badly because no one likes to be disappointed.

No one likes to have someone over-promise yet under-deliver. But life is filled with such disappointments. Think about that time you made dinner reservations only to arrive at the restaurant to hear the greeter say, “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have your name on the list.” Or maybe your parent made a promise to you years ago and then failed to deliver. Or perhaps you had a girlfriend or boyfriend, or even a fiancé, whom you thought would be your spouse, but it didn’t happen. Any such instance raises hopes only to dash expectations. Life sometimes yells, “Psych!”

But here’s the good news: God never plays Psych! God always keeps his promises. He has never over-promised and under-delivered. His Word always proves true.

Note: The Ordinary will always under-deliver, the Extra-ordinary will never under-deliver. God desires to act to do the extraordinary things that He has promised to do.

God will always do the Extraordinary in your Life if you let Him.

How do we expect the Extraordinary instead of the Ordinary?

a). When we gather with great Expectation.

‌The text indicates that they were all gathered in one place. This was the moment that they had long waited for, when the fulfilment of the prophecies came full circle in the person of the Holy spirit. ‌Why would we ever gather without having the great expectation of the power of the Holy Spirit. ‌Luke alone accounts for the coming of the Spirit, however, the history of this event is firmly assured by Jesus Christ and His coming to the earth. It’s place in Acts corresponds with the birth of Jesus in the gospels, and its significance is that the Church is now equipped to fulfill it’s task as given in the Great Commission. ‌This fulfillment of the prophecies is the sign that the end times is at hand.

Isaiah 32:15 ESV

15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.

History of Pentecost

‌Pentecost means Fifty days have past since the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Pentecost is also a harvest festival celebrating the first fruits of the wheat crops and the second pilgrimage festival of three after the passover. ‌It was also the festival celebrating in the giving of the law said to be given on Mt. Sinai fifty days after the passover in Exodus. ‌

Therefore, the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is associated with the giving of the Law and the Torah of the Messiah introducing the new age. So, He is now giving you a new heart a new law not written on tablets of stone.

Deuteronomy 30:6 ESV

6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

b). When we Embrace the Signs of the Promise.

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SIGNS OF THE PROMISE

(1) The Sound of a rushing wind

“And Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a rushing wind.”

The Storm that greeted Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-12

1 Kings 19:11–12

ESV

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

The term is also associated with God’s presence with the spirits arrival and possibly the recognition of life itself with the term “breath,” or pneuma of God.

(2) The Manifestation of Tongues

These tongues allow the disciples to speak about God’s activity in the foreign languages of their audience.

Evangelistic Power: so that each person can hear about God’s work in his or her own language.

Different from the picture in 1 Cor. 14.

(3) Fire appeared and rested on them

God’s presence associated with fire:

the burning bush

fire in the wilderness

fire at the Tabernacle/temple

‌God is a consuming fire, therefore, the fire resting on each believer may symbolize that they are now the new temple that the spirit indwells. ‌The Lord is residing inside each believer just like He rested in the Temple. The fact that it manifested in tongues of fire should not be surprising as we see the filling of the Holy spirit as manifested in their speech.

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This appeals to three of their higher senses, which were affected: they heard the wind-like sound, saw the fire-like apparition, and spoke the ‘other’ languages.

Yet what they experienced was more than sensory; it was significant. So they sought to understand it.

‌These 3 represent the New Era of the Holy Spirit

Wind - may symbolize the power the Spirit brings.Fire is the purifier in our lives (Isaiah 6 is like burning coal). Language - our tongues the speech in universal languages.

The people immediately heard their own language and recommended it as their language.

Peters Sermon

There is no reason to assume that this is the sum total of Peter’s sermon. This recounting of the sermon is only about 3 minutes long. In fact, at the end of Acts in verse 40, it says that he used many other words to bear witness.

Acts 2:14–21 ESV

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

2. What will you do with the desperate who need to know Christ?

Man has the Universal need to know Christ.

In verses 19–21, we see humanity’s universal need to know Christ and his inclusive offer so that everyone can know him. Peter mentions some future cataclysmic events destined to unfold before the day of the Lord comes.

Luke reminds his readers that the outpouring of the Spirit had already been promised to them, so they should not be surprised.

Joel 2:28–32 ESV

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

“God is going to pour out His spirit on all flesh!”

What does it mean “all flesh?” Of course, the Holy Spirit was not poured out on all flesh as we see it.

It means that now the Spirit is available and made possible or available for all to repentance in Christ Jesus.

What a great picture of the multi-cultural, multi-linguistic nature of the global Church.

‌At the tower of Babel human languages were confused and the nations were scattered; in Jerusalem the language barrier was supernaturally overcome as a sign that the nations would now be gathered together in Christ, prefiguring the great day when the redeemed company will be drawn ‘from every nation, tribe, people and language’. ‌Besides, at Babel earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven, whereas in Jerusalem heaven humbly descended to earth

a). God is Holy, and we need a Savior.

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Note: I will pour out my Spirit on the male and female servants.

Have you called on the name of the Lord alone to Save you?

Romans 10:13 ESV

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

‌The missing Part of our Gospel

‌Do we invite people to call on the name of the Lord? ‌

It’s like if you are out at sea and your ship has capsized with no sign of help around.

You begin to think your life is done for until eventually you see a ship coming your way. Now the ship has all that is necessary to save you from the depth of the ocean that is waiting to claim your life. ‌

What are you going to do? Are you going to say, I know the ship can save me.

I know the ship has all the right tools to pull me from the water, or are you going to call out in despair for a Savior. ‌It is one thing to know the Savior can save you, and another thing to call out to be saved.

Romans 10:13 ESV

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Acts 2:29–36 ESV

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

3. What will you do with Jesus of Nazareth?

(1) The Gospel Events

The Story of Jesus is told.Proof of the Resurrection

All of them have seen viable proof that He is alive again. The resurrection is the proof that He is the Son of God.

The body of Jesus would not be allowed to undergo corruption or decay.

(2) The Gospel Fulfillment

David had been dead for a thousand years, and his tomb could still be seen from Jerusalem.

David’s words did not speak of himself but, the proof of the coming Messiah.

(3) The Gospel Witness

Jesus is not only risen from the dead but is now exalted at the right hand of God. The place of authority, where all his enemies will be subject to Him.

Note: Peter did not soft-pedal the gospel at the end of 36, “This Jesus Whom You Crucified.”

‌We need to recover the Awe of who Jesus is and what He has done. ‌His love has been spurned, His purity has been trampled, His truth has been buried. ‌But one day this risen, merciful Jesus will rule with a rod of iron.

‌Perhaps no one has illustrated the meekness and majesty of Jesus better in recent history than C. S. Lewis.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy is posing questions to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan, a character representative of Christ:‌“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.‌

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea.

Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”‌“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man.

Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”‌“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”‌

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.‌“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.

He’s the King, I tell you” (Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, 75–76).

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Yes. Christ is good. But he isn’t safe.

Jesus really is the true King. So stand in awe of him. Don’t be silly. Confess him as Lord.

That’s Peter’s message. He says, “Know with certainty!” Be assured of this. Jesus is the ascended King.

THE RESPONSE

Acts 2:37–41 ESV

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

(4) The Gospel conditions

God does not impose gifts on us unconditionally.

a). The Gospel Requires a Radical Turn from Sin and to Christ.

The crowd is convinced and wants to know what to do. The crowd senses the need to respond to the message. Inevitably, every Sunday, someone senses the need to respond.

The question is what we are going to do when he calls. It's like all of those calls we get now, but the screen is out of the way. However, this one is different because we feel the need or desire to answer the call. Many are called, but few answer the call.

‌In Matthew 22:14 Jesus tells a parable of a wedding feast.

In this parable he says that many are called but few are chosen. In the parable the king sends out servants to call and gather all the people for the wedding feast. ‌

But those invited refused to come because they were too busy with all of their worldly pursuits and some because they were outright hostile towards the king. ‌

So the king orders his servants to go out and invite anyone they find who will listen and fill the wedding hall. ‌But the king sees one man at the feast without wedding clothes, and he sens him away.

Jesus concluded by saying that many are called/invited to the wedding feast but only those who have received Christ and are chosen will come.

Those who try to come in by any other way will be sent away into outer darkness. ‌Many people hear the call of God coming through creation, the conscience and the preaching of the word. “But only the few will respond and truly hear.”

1). We must repent, meaning a complete change of mind and attitude towards Jesus.

You can feel the anxiousness in the voices of the people. What should we do now? What do we do with Jesus?

(Story of Nathan Catholic at Mighty Oaks)

2) We must be Baptized in His name.

Submitting to baptism was thought only to be for Gentiles. Therefore, the Jewish audience would have to humble themselves to undergo baptism.

Note: Peter does not specifically call on the crowd to believe in this text; however, we know they did because he calls them believers in verse 40.

b). God will Always follow through on What He Promises

God doesn’t play psych. He always delivers. “The promise if for you, for your children, and for all who are far off.”

Ephesians 2:13 ESV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

‌The covenant promise is now for all people and is sealed and ratified by the Holy Spirit. ‌*The promise brings us who were far off near by the blood of Christ. ‌* The promise saves us from this crooked generation.

Note: About 3,000 souls were added that day. The number is not precise; it may very well have been more.

CLOSING

The reality is that no one can truly be filled with the Holy Spirit and hide it. It is evident when someone has the Holy Spirit.

It is the one clear distinguishing marker of whether someone is truly a child of God. However, looking around the church today, you would assume the Spirit has left the room.

Where is the joy, where is the passion, where is the sacrifice?

‌During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn't able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch.

With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.‌Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills.

Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.‌At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve.

The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.‌And Mr. Yates owned it all.

The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he'd been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn't know the oil was there even though he owned it.

Many Christians live in spiritual poverty. They are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, but they are unaware of their birthright.

Now look at the Evidence that the Holy Spirit had descended on the church in the final verses of chapter 2.

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Do you want the Lord to add those who are being saved to your number?

Do you want the Extra-Ordinary, or are you satisfied with the Ordinary?

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